Catalyst S+F: Branded Website vs. Social Presence: Food for Thought - Shannon Light - MediaBizBloggers

An out of town guest and I wanted to dine in the North Beach district of San Francisco but had no particular destination in mind As we negotiated the crowded sidewalks of pedestrian tourists and a cacophony of waiters attempting to lure in our patronage we found ourselves stuck deciding between two neighboring restaurants At first glance they both had exactly what we were looking for both had outdoor heated seating let me remind you dear reader this is San Francisco in July amp8211 heating is a must comparable menu offerings ampamp prices and the Yelp reviews we both pulled from our dueling iPhones were nearly identical We looked up from our handheld devices and realized that one restaurant39s outside tables were nearly full while the other was completely empty This observation led us to quickly decide to dine at the more popular restaurantAs we chatted over a glass of wine we noticed the same phenomenon occurring again and again groups of potential diners would approach the two restaurants read the menus deliberate and then choose the same restaurant we did All things equal it seemed that this was occurring simply because you could see and hear excitement and activity coming from one restaurant while the other was emptyThis got me thinking about an ongoing conversation I39ve been having with my clients about the role of a brand39s website vs a branded social media environment Facebook fan page Which landing environment should consumers be driven to from our marketing activities For years we have typically been driving all responders to a branded website however I think it is time to challenge that notionThink of a brand website as a deli and the social presence as an Italian restaurant A deli is transactionoriented and efficient come in get what you need and get out Similarly brand websites tend to be transactionoriented and are not inherently quotinteractivequot meaning that a consumer cannot engage in a dialogue with brand content Conversely a restaurant is an environment that encourages interaction and conversation among groups of friends or likeminded individualsamp8230sounds like social media to meAdditionally delis tend to treat people merely as customers while a good restaurant strives to make people feel like guests How should we as marketers think about our client39s target audiences Are they simply customers looking for a quick transaction or should we consider them our guests and take time to develop a relationship with themI believe that the answer lies with the consumer if a consumer responds to a transactionoriented or informationgathering type ad great send them to the website But don39t forget to upsell the opportunity to join the brand39s community after the transaction is complete If the consumer responds to a more engaging or brandoriented ad why not send them to an environment where they can continue to actively engage with the brand and other likeminded guests If we continue to use the brand website as the goto destination I believe we are alienating consumers who may just need to see and hear other people interacting with the brand If we continue to default to the website we have essentially sent them to the empty restaurantInstead send them to the restaurant that is bustling and full of patrons The relationship that you create with your guest will likely keep them coming back time and time again and who knows they may even bring friendsShannon Light is the Senior Director of Account Strategy at Catalyst SF leading the Del Monte Consumer and Pet Brand initiatives She can be reached at shannoncatalystsfcomRead all Shannon39s MediaBizBloggers commentaries at The Marketing Capital Report MediaBizBloggersCheck us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates MediaBizBlogger

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Catalyst S+F: Branded Website vs. Social Presence: Food for Thought - Shannon Light - MediaBizBloggers

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